North Korea
“Dialogue and confrontation”
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has made his first public statement on US-North Korea relations since Joe Biden became president and he appears to be covering all the bases. He “stressed the need to get prepared for both dialogue and confrontation, especially to get fully prepared for confrontation in order to protect the dignity of our state," according to the Korean Central News Agency. The dialogue part of the statement is perhaps the more interesting takeaway as it signals Kim is open to a continuation of the diplomatic thaw that started under Donald Trump.
More from Bloomberg here.
Israel-Palestine
What a mess. The Palestinian Authority has cancelled a deal to receive COVID-19 vaccines from Israel, saying the doses are too close to their expiry dates. Rights groups say Israel, as the occupying power in the West Bank and Gaza, has an obligation to provide vaccines to Palestinians - something Israel has argued against. More than 55 percent of Israel’s population is fully vaccinated and the country has largely reopened.
More from the New Arab here.
Iran
Election day in Iran and the key word? Apathy.
Good piece from Al Jazeera here.